(First post) Ejection problems on MK-3

[BayouBob]

Caveman, Look at the face of your buffer.  Is it getting beat up and gouged by the bolt carrier?  Both the buffers I have tried in mine got chewed up by both bolt carriers.  It looks on mine like the rear of the bolt carrier isn't hitting the buffer squarely, again telling me that something is out of spec.

[imschur]

Very similar to the IRA issue elsewhere on the site.

[CaveMan]

Ok, so I'm going to just rant on here for a second because it's late, and I've had a couple of beers.

I'm working a lot of hours these days, as it's the busy season for my industry. I literally work 7 days per week in the marine industry, dealing with really lame clients and trying my damndest to survive in one of the most cutthroat sales jobs I've ever had. It's freaking unreal stressful, and firearms is my one outlet. Shooting guns helps me unwind.

I don't have a lot of spare cash. I am on a pretty strict budget, as my wife and I are trying to work our way out of student loan debt. I have limited myself to ONE rifle. I don't have a basement full of guns, or racks and racks of half-finished AR-15s. I literally have ONLY one rifle.

The only other rifle in the house is my wife's .308 bolt gun. But we have a deal that it is HER gun, and not mine. I can only shoot it when we go out together. It's not mine, it's hers.

A little background: Since 2008, my gun was an FN-FAL. It took 4 months of dedicated savings to buy it. It was my dream gun. And I loved it more than a man should really love an inanimate object.

I took care of the FAL. I fed it good ammo. I had a nice sling, a nice case, and lots and lots of magazines. I took it to the range and blasted stuff with it every chance I got. I cleaned it. I showed it off to everybody. It was my prized possession.

Again, I'm a "one rifle" kinda guy.

Eventually I spent about $500 on a scope for it, and that's when I realized its accuracy limitations. After much thought and agony, I made a hard decision. I sold the FN-FAL.

It was like selling my child.

I'm not kidding; it was quite emotional.

A very nice man, a military firearms collector, purchased my FAL from me for $1200. We met in a parking lot. I watched my dream rifle disappear into the back of his Jeep along with my stack of magazines. I shook his hand, pocketed the cash, and tried to imagine what could POSSIBLY be better than the Right Arm of The Free World.

I went from ONE rifle, to ZERO rifles.

But I knew my dream was out there. I knew there was an 18" barreled "battle rifle" handy enough to drag through the woods, but accurate enough to hit at 500 yards. I thought, "I can't be the only one who wants a rifle like this. It has to exist!" And with my wad of cash, I started the search.

Every review I read of CMMG was positive. Sure, everyone makes a bum gun every once in a while. But that's just life. It's entropy. It's part of the chaos of the gun shopping experience. "Take a chance," my brain said. "They look nice, they're light, and right in your price range."

The cash was burning a hole in my pocket.

I needed a rifle. And I needed one NOW.

I took the MK-3 home with such high hopes. Here I was, finally in the 21st century of battle rifles. Finally, the magazines are being manufactured by modern companies. The ergonomics are the same as current militaries, and all the message board threads about bolt releases, charging handles, etc. applied to me. I had moved into the modern world, with my one rifle.

"Yay! Have a beer, CaveMan. You're doing alright," said my brain.

That was 2 months ago.

And yet, here I am. I'm back to having zero rifles. At best I have half a rifle. I have a gun which jams on every 10th shot. The chaos of the gun shopping experience has fully backfired on me, as CMMG seems unwilling or unable to make me whole again.

My one stress reliever, my one fucking hobby, is completely at a standstill. After work, after I feel like the bullpoopy is stacking up to my eyeballs, I can't even go to the range because my rifle is such a piece of crap that it's not even worth mounting my scope. (Yes, that's the $500 scope I purchased for the FN-FAL. It sits gathering dust on the dresser, wishing it had a rifle worthy of it.)

So ya see, CMMG, this isn't just a small part of my life. This is very important to me. I really wish you'd see that it's a waste of postage to send rifles back and forth across the Midwest without having been as much as test-fired. I mean, for the $80 that was spent in shipping, I could have bought more ammo. Or more magazines. Or anything. Instead, you paid it to UPS.

UPS is the only one prospering here.

Please, CMMG. Make this good for me. I guess I have no choice but to send my ONE RIFLE back to you again. I'll politely fill out the technical contact form on your website, and request that my gun be sent back in for service. You'll probably create a UPS label and I'll dutifully pack up my gun in the box again. (Thank God I kept that box. It spends more time in there than in my hands.) And my ONE RIFLE will travel by truck to your shop.

*sigh.*

Just one request: If you don't know how to fix it, please give me my money back. I know, you technically didn't sell it to me. (You sold it to a distributor who sold it to my local shop.) But poop, if that's your business model, you need to refund my money when it doesn't work. I'll respect you a LOT more if you just say, "CaveMan, we can't fix this thing. It looks pretty, and it's nice and we made it super shiny, but it don't shoot for crap. Here's $1408.74 for your troubles." I would completely understand.

No hard feelings, CMMG.

...and I would take that money, and go buy ONE RIFLE from someone else.

[Robocop1051]

Wow, that really pulled at my heart strings. I hate hearing about people's bad experiences like this. I pray CMMG makes right with you.

I'd send that post as an email to every gun mag, website and newsletter I could think of.

[washguy]

Geez Caveman... Your one freakin lil bit of pleasure outside the home has turned to crap...it just shouldnt be this way..an ar 308 aint rocket science for God's sake...btw why did you  bypass the gunshop that sold you this piece of crap? I would think they would take it back...although I dunno much about buying from stores since I build em myself. I just hate that this is happening to you.... im putting a pox on the house of cmmg :(  wash

[Jgun]

I also, feel for you with this fiasco. I'm still not sure if your problem is due to a part/parts that are out of tolerance in your rifle, or a design fault with it. I personally, have had no experience with the CMMG .308's, but I have seen posts (as you have) from people that have had both good and bad luck with them.  Disregarding your added frustration because this is your only rifle, and because it is so important to you as therapy, I think that when you buy a complete gun there is a reasonable expectation (sounds like legaleze) that it will function as intended, just like buying a new car, while on the other hand, when we build them, we sometimes encounter problems due to parts compatability, tolerance stacking, or just builder assembly mistakes, but we understand that at the outset.

  I hope that the company does the right thing for you, and if they can't, that they give you a refund.  I don't know if this makes any sense to you, and I know you enjoy shooting your gun, but since you've had problems with an off the shelf gun, perhaps you might want to consider trying your hand at putting one together. If you can adjust your mindset so that you can get the same type of satisfaction by working on your gun, that you do from shooting it, the process of building your own could become very rewarding for you. There are many people here on the forum, that would be happy to give you guidance, and you could end up with a gun that you feel greater attachment to than any before, (because you put it together). The only problem will be the time it takes to get it all together. I think of it as a journey vs destination type of mindset. Good luck.

[washguy]

Jgun    Well said ! <thumbsup> Wash

[unforgiven]

Brother Cave Man I can feel your pain in your post,hopefully thses people will do the right thing by you.But when you look at the big picture if this is your only rub in life,you gonna be ok.Just another bump in the road. <thumbsup>

[CaveMan]

BayouBob: It seems like it's hitting the buffer squarely. There are no marks on it.

Next step, I'm gonna send this thing back. It sucks that they're paying for so much postage, but that's what they get for not fixing it the first time. Anybody have any opinions on DPMS's 308 rifles? Any good? Anything available in 18" medium-profile?

Also, apparently I'm quite the whiny bitch when I drink.  :) Thanks for reading.

[washguy]

BayouBob: It seems like it's hitting the buffer squarely. There are no marks on it.

Next step, I'm gonna send this thing back. It sucks that they're paying for so much postage, but that's what they get for not fixing it the first time. Anybody have any opinions on DPMS's 308 rifles? Any good? Anything available in 18" medium-profile?

Also, apparently I'm quite the whiny bitch when I drink.  :) Thanks for reading.

Hiya Cave    get you a mega ma10 matched upper/lower...then build your dream rifle....I gurantee you it wont ftf or fte or fart!  it will become a family heirloom to be passed down from gneration to generation.....if the zombies dont take over the world

Wash

[imschur]

Theres a company called Armalite, they have been making the .308 longer than everyone. We dont see many issues with them here. They have models for every price point. Might be worth a look.

[survivalshop]

Good point on the Armilite , but they should just replace the rifle & I would say so in the packing slip .

[BayouBob]

CMMG got my Mark 3 back for the second time last Friday morning.  Before I sent back again I asked what the plan was and was told 3 days.  It is only 2 days shipping from them to me so I should have had it back today.  Don't even have a shipping notification yet so the 3 day part was obviously not true.  I am rapidly loosing faith in what by all accounts used to be a reputable company.  My phone call Monday will be for a full refund.

[washguy]

CMMG got my Mark 3 back for the second time last Friday morning.  Before I sent back again I asked what the plan was and was told 3 days.  It is only 2 days shipping from them to me so I should have had it back today.  Don't even have a shipping notification yet so the 3 day part was obviously not true.  I am rapidly loosing faith in what by all accounts used to be a reputable company.  My phone call Monday will be for a full refund.

Good for you Bob!  Ill do my part in posting this BS they have been giving you all over the internet if they dont come through for you! <thumbsup>Wash

[unforgiven]

<munch>

[CaveMan]

I talked to Brent from CMMG today on the phone, and he is sending me a shipping label to send my rifle back for a second time. He mentioned a few things that he would like to try on the MK-3 rifles, including a smaller gas port on the 18" carbine-length gas systems. He said he didn't have any other barrels in stock to experiment with, but thinks a smaller gas port would help.  This jives with the opinions on this forum that the rifle is very over-gassed.

The current plan is to send back only the lower. He's going to put a rifle-length buffer tube on it, and an A2 style stock. Hopefully the longer spring / longer buffer will make it work. I am all for this plan, as my friends MK-3 with rifle length buffer works fantastic.

I'm OK with the A2 stock, as long as the overall weight of the rifle does not spike. I enjoy how light it is now.

Brent also said the change should help mitigate recoil. It has quite the perceived recoil at the moment, from my experience.

He said he was happy to pick up the shipping, hopefully they can make this poop work!!!!  I will keep you guys posted. <thumbsup>

[washguy]

Hiya Cave   

"He said he didn't have any other barrels in stock to experiment with, but thinks a smaller gas port would help. "    I wasnt going to be negative and you know im pulling for you guys that have problems with their crap....but...

a big outfit like cmmg doesnt have one stinkin barrel to play with? <laughs>  thats just plain stoopid...hey maybe cmmg can come over to my house and borrow some barrels <lmao>  ....maybe they can come over and borrow an adjustable gas block and try that <lmao>  why should you have to go to an a2 stock...hell if you wanted that you would have got one?

sorry....I was gonna stay positive...but you know what?  cmmg just plain SUKS !  Wash

[BayouBob]

They put an A-2 stock on my Mark 3.  It was gone for 2 weeks but that was the only thing they did to it.  Brent told me the same thing; they don't have any barrels in stock.  I get the impression they don't make their own barrels so all they have are already drilled.  I am beginning to wonder if CMMG has gone from a manufacturer to just an assembler of other people's parts.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of science in their work.  I had just  minute to run to the range and put a part of a mag down range.  The gun ejected all the rounds but they are still going mostly forward which I don't like.  I'll give it one more good trial in a few days and if it isn't right Brent has offered me a refund.

[imschur]

Many manufacturers dont make their own barrels.

Take the refund

[Jgun]

As mentioned above, Many of the manufacturers don't have the equipment in house to make their own barrels, I doub't that many rifle their own blanks, even if the do the rest. I've read that with the AR 15's a few companys are making most of the forgings, and that they are just marked with the name of the manufacturer. You have to understand that the equpment to actually make these parts is large, expensive and specialized, along with the techniques and knowledge required to make a good barreled blank or forging. Even companies that "could" financially make parts in house sometimes outsource in order to save money, I just read something about Mossberg getting barrels that are made in Mexico, I doubt that it's because they make better barrels there than we can in the US. That doesn't mean that the company isn't an actual manufacturer. I have been surprised in the past, when I've traveled to a city, and decided to visit the factory where something I own is made, only to find that it's a very small operation, not the huge complex I had invisioned. Tha't doesn't have to mean that the product is inferior, although a smaller outfit probably won't have the resources that a larger one has for R&D and customer service. I still think you should consider building your own, there's a lot to be said for getting a gun designed exactly the way you want.

[unforgiven]

Brother IMO take the refund <thumbsup> and take a stab at building one yourself like brother Jgun suggested.You'll be fortunate to have all the resources on hand.

[washguy]

I promise you that taking a refund is the right thing to do :)  I have no faith in them correcting the malfunctions.... <thumbsup>  Wash

[98Z5V]

After reading all this, I don't recall anyone addressing the extractor.  Sounds like it needs a stiffer spring.  Not the ejector, the extractor.

It's not hanging onto the rounds as they're pulled out of the chamber.

Take the bolt apart, remove the extractor, and see what's under it.  Stick an o-ring around that spring, then shoot it again. 

You might think I'm  :cookoo: - but give that a shot.

[survivalshop]

I believe (& I have a hard time sorting out what's going on with who's rifle  ) that the complete bolts were replaced on these rifles & why should they do any thing to a brand new rifle, any way ,  ya know. <dontknow>

I got to shoot my Buddy's( my heart doctor )  CMMG 308 today & it had no problems at all ( well except for his scope loosening , his bad ) Nice two stage trigger & I had no problem putting them in @ 200 yrd's.

[98Z5V]

I believe (& I have a hard time sorting out what's going on with who's rifle  ) that the complete bolts were replaced on these rifles & why should they do any thing to a brand new rifle, any way ,  ya know. <dontknow>

I hear ya, SS, I do.  <thumbsup>  I think that CMMG is chasing ejection issues and just replacing some parts on customer guns - and they're overlooking the very real possibility that it's an extraction issue that's causing this.  <dontknow>

Maybe it was just a bad batch of extractor springs in-house there, but I'd bet an o-ring around the extractor spring would cure this guy's problems.  Gassing issues aside, which could be solved later, I think there's something going on with that extractor force.  This is the same kinda thing you see with 10/22s and bad extractors.